Amendments to High Speed 2 railway route agreed by MPs

Amendments to the High Speed 2 railway and the legislation paving the way for it have been agreed by MPs.

The agreement means a special committee examining the plans, which are moving through Parliament, can consider the latest tweaks to the route and the planned works to build the line.

The £50 billion line is strongly opposed by many who live along the proposed route.

The amendments give newly affected people an additional four weeks to petition the committee and raise complaints and concerns about the plans, which will link London to Birmingham with high speed trains by 2026.

A second phase is proposed to extend the line to Manchester and Leeds, via Sheffield, by 2033.

Transport Minister Robert Goodwill said: “These amendments demonstrate while the Government recognises the vital role HS2 has to play in transforming our transport network and our economy, we also recognise the need to listen to those directly affected by the railway and, wherever possible, seek to mitigate those impacts.”

Mr Goodwill told MPs none of the changes would affect the overall budget as they would be accommodated by contingency money.